Rapid HIV Antibody Test in New Delhi

[Guest guest]

Rapid HIV Antibody Test in New Delhi

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(May 18, 2007) - bioLytical Laboratories

In partnership with governmental and community organizations in

Delhi, India, bioLyticalTM Laboratories (bioLytical) will train over

350 health care workers on how to administer the INSTITM 60 second

HIV test. bioLytical is donating 1000 INSTI HIV diagnosis tests to be

used on May 20th (International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day) to

test sex workers, migrant workers, truckers and other vulnerable

people in Delhi. The INSTI HIV diagnosis tests give an accurate HIV

diagnosis in 60 seconds. People who are at high risk for HIV

infection, and who cannot access clinics, can finally be tested,

treated and cared for.

Delhi has a population of over 14 million, and 1 million people are

considered to be at high risk for HIV infection. " By partnering with

community-based organizations, we believe we can get the tests to

those who need it most, " says Mr. Carl Roy, CEO, bioLytical. " Those

who are most at risk for AIDS are often the same people who cannot

access testing facilities. " Insuring timely detection of HIV

infection will help curb the spread of the disease.

To train health care workers, bioLytical is partnering with the Delhi

State AIDS Control Society (DSACS). Over 350 counsellors, lab

technicians, and officials from DSACS, local hospitals, blood banks

and the St. Ambulance brigade will learn how to administer the

60 second INSTI HIV test. Rick Galli, bioLytical's Chief Scientific

Officer will be onsite in Delhi leading the training sessions and

testing high risk individuals.

" This will be the first time in India that training and user trials

will be conducted for a Point of Care HIV kit, " says Mr. Bhavjit

Jauhar, Head of Business Development for bioLytical, India. " Never

before has it been possible to conduct HIV testing in the field. "

Mr. Birendra Soni, Assistant Director, Voluntary Counselling Testing

(VCT) at DSACS, witnessed the stigma and misinformation about HIV

testing firsthand while travelling across 18 states in India during

his project Mission Highway. " Most sexually active young people have

no idea where to go for the tests, " says Mr. Soni. " This hinders

proper detection and management of HIV/AIDS, and fails to remove the

stigma associated with it. "

The annual International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, a program of the

Global Health Council, is one of the largest and oldest grassroots

mobilization campaigns for HIV/AIDS awareness in the world. It is an

opportunity to educate about HIV/AIDS, influence local and national

policy makers, and create community dialogue about prevention, care,

and treatment for the disease. " Canadians need to understand the

devastating impact that the HIV/AIDS pandemic is having on many poor

countries and how it hinders development and efforts to alleviate

poverty, " stated Wallace, Education Outreach Coordinator,

for the International Development Education

Association. " Leveraging the support of the Canadian public and non-

profit organizations, grassroots projects such as the International

AIDS Candlelight Memorials continue to make a positive difference in

the lives of many individuals and communities around the world. "

On International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day, the St. 's

Ambulance Brigade and the DSACS MITWA (Mobile Integrated Testing and

Wellness Access) bus (to view a photo of the bus, please click on:

http://www.ccnmatthews.com/docs/bus.jpg) will bring the INSTITM test

to high risk areas, and make rapid HIV testing available, for the

first time, to sex workers, migrant workers, truck drivers, rickshaw

pullers and others.

About INSTITM HIV-1 Rapid Antibody Test

INSTITM is a highly effective and reliable rapid HIV test that

detects the presence of antibodies to HIV in whole blood, serum or

plasma in 60 seconds. It has a 99.96% accuracy rate, as demonstrated

in extensive clinical trials carried out in multiple centers across

Canada. To further ensure INSTI maintains its high quality, it is

manufactured in Canada under strict controls in a state-of-the-art

ISO accredited facility. INSTI has gone through extensive clinical

trials and is the only HIV kit approved by Health Canada for point-of-

care testing.

About bioLyticalTM Laboratories (www.biolytical.com)

bioLytical Laboratories (Inc.) is a leading developer and

manufacturer of diagnostic tests for global health care markets. The

company produces the highly accurate and reliable INSTI kit; the only

rapid HIV test kit approved by Health Canada for use in a point of

care setting, such as a doctor's office or hospital. bioLytical is a

privately owned company with headquarters and state of the art

manufacturing facility located in Richmond, British Columbia, with

offices in United Kingdom and Uganda, Africa. For more information

about bioLytical and INSTI, please visit www.biolytical.com.

About Delhi State AIDS Control Society (DSACS)

The Delhi State AIDS Control Society is an autonomous body of the

Delhi Government. It is a nodal agency that is responsible for

implementing the National AIDS Control Programme funded by the

Government of India. The main objective of the society is to prevent

and control HIV transmission and to strengthen state capacity to

respond to the long-term challenge posed by the epidemic. The society

is implementing various components through various departments and

institutes in both Government and Non-Government.

http://www.biolytical.com/press_releaseInfo.asp?pressID=238

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

Re: /message/7293

Congratulations to bioLyticalTM Laboratories (bioLytical) for providing the HIV

test kits to helath workers in delhi.

Just wish to know whether this tesing will be part of integrated health service

set up where proper pre-post test counselling will be done or not ?

Otherwise this technology and easy access to it can be misused to further

discriminate and stigmatise people who are at the high risk or HIV infection,

and who cannot access clinics, can even be tested, and

discriminated against rather than treated and cared for.

Lets ensure proper care and support for people who are alredy vulnerable.

regards

Swati Pongurlekar

e-mail: <swatip187@...>